Hero-Myths and Legends of the British Race

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Far and wide spread the tidings of this terrible
oppression, and many champions came from afar to
offer King Hrothgar their aid, but none was heroic
enough to conquer the monster, and many a mighty
warrior lost his life in a vain struggle against Grendel.
At length even these bold adventurers ceased to come;
Grendel remained master of Heorot, and the Danes
settled down in misery under the bondage of a perpetual
nightly terror, while Hrothgar grew old in helpless
longing for strength to rescue his people from
their foe.

Beowulf

Meanwhile there had come to manhood and full
strength a hero destined to make his name famous for
mighty deeds of valour throughout the whole of the
Teutonic North. In the realm of the Geats (Götaland,
in the south of Sweden) ruled King Hygelac, a mighty
ruler who was ambitious enough to aim at conquering
his neighbours on the mainland of Germany. His
only sister, daughter of the dead king Hrethel, had
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married a great noble, Ecgtheow, and they had one son,
Beowulf, who from the age of seven was brought up
at the Geatish court. The boy was a lad of great
stature and handsome appearance, with fair locks and
gallant bearing; but he greatly disappointed his grandfather,
King Hrethel, by his sluggish character. Beowulf
as a youth had been despised by all for his sloth and
his unwarlike disposition; his good-nature and his
rarely stirred wrath made others look upon him with
scorn, and the mighty stature to which he grew brought
him nothing but scoffs and sneers and insults in the
banquet-hall when the royal feasts were held. Yet
wise men might have seen the promise of great strength
in his powerful sinews and his mighty hands, and the
signs of great force of character in the glance of his
clear blue eyes and the fierceness of his anger when he
was once aroused. At least once already Beowulf had
distinguished himself in a great feat—a swimming-match
with a famous champion, Breca, who had been
beaten in the contest. For this and other victories, and
for the bodily strength which gave Beowulf’s hand-grip
the force of thirty men, the hero was already
famed when the news of Grendel’s ravages reached
Geatland. Beowulf, eager to try his strength against
the monster, and burning to add to his fame, asked
and obtained permission from his uncle, King Hygelac,
to seek the stricken Danish king and offer his help
against Grendel; then, choosing fourteen loyal comrades
and kinsfolk, he took a cheerful farewell of the
Geatish royal family and sailed for Denmark.

Thus it happened that one day the Warden of the
Coast, riding on his round along the Danish shores,
saw from the white cliffs a strange war-vessel running
in to shore. Her banners were unknown to him, her
crew were strangers and all in war-array, and as the
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Warden watched them they ran the ship into a small
creek among the mountainous cliffs, made her fast to a
rock with stout cables, and then landed and put themselves
in readiness for a march. Though there were
fifteen of the strangers and the Warden was alone, he
showed no hesitation, but, riding boldly down into
their midst, loudly demanded: